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Thursday, October 3, 2013

Better know a politician: Tom Nelson

Name: Tom Nelson

Political Party: Democratic
(D)

State: Wisconsin

Current position: County
Executive, Outagamie County

Tenure: 2011-present

Previous position: Member,
Wisconsin State Assembly, 2005-2011, Majority leader 2008-2011
Ran for Lieutenant Governor
with Tom Barrett in 2010. Barrett lost to Walker in the general
election, as did Nelson.

Future position: Nelson has
been mentioned as a possible candidate for the 2014 Wisconsin
gubernatorial election.

Polling results:
Public Policy Polling,
September 17, 2013

Favorable: 8%
Unfavorable: 15%
Not sure: 77%

Scott Walker: 47%
Tom Nelson: 40%
Not sure: 13%

Issues/Positions/Accomplishments

Exploring the possibility
of seeking federal dollars for the expansion of Medicaid for
Outagamie County

Endorsed by the
Steelworkers Union in 2010

Given a 100% by both SEIU
and AFL-CIO

Given a 100% rating by
Planned Parenthood Advocates of Wisconsin

Voted against a partial
birth abortion plan

Does not support
abstinence-only sex education

Voted to provide sexual
assault victims with emergency contraceptives

Voted against
constitutional amendment defining marriage between man and woman

Voted in favor of banning
smoking indoors

Supported a bill that
would establish that businesses would have to pay a fine for
discriminating in pay against women and minorities

Did not support the Voted
ID law

Supported educational
requirements to require teacher performance to be based on student
test scores